Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $868 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Suzhou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shenzhen and in Suzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $868 in Suzhou.

Shenzhen $1,131
Suzhou $868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,480 in Suzhou.

Shenzhen $1,741
Suzhou $1,480

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $2,091 in Suzhou.

Shenzhen $2,352
Suzhou $2,091

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 30% more expensive than in Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Suzhou 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$4.24 ¥28.37

-12.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$30.34 ¥203

-1.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.26 ¥35.17

1.90%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$3.50 ¥23.42

-3.14%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.68 ¥4.56

-19.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.39 ¥2.58

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$2.19 ¥14.67

-32.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$4.38 ¥29.29

-50.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.92 ¥12.84

-17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.95 ¥13.02

-16.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.24 ¥8.30

-8.06%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.76 ¥11.78

1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$18.04 ¥121

17.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.52 ¥23.52

-1.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$8.43 ¥56.4

74.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.01 ¥13.46

10.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.29 ¥8.64

24.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.39 ¥9.29

35.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.44 ¥9.65

-2.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.67 ¥4.50

55.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.18 ¥7.89

5.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.84 ¥5.62

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.55 ¥3.71

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$4.44 ¥29.72

-1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$9.18 ¥61.4

27.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$1.11 ¥7.44

-11.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$2.07 ¥13.85

-11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.38 ¥2.56

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$44.11 ¥295

-48.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.78 ¥11.87

-14.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.38 ¥2.54

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$10.19 ¥68.1

-31.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.33 ¥8.90

1.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.7K ¥132.0K

0.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$18.0K ¥120.3K

-0.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.8 ¥420

$99.5 ¥665

-36.92%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.25 ¥68.5

$13.18 ¥88.1

-22.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.00 ¥73.6

48.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$33.82 ¥226

46.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$18.84 ¥126

-8.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.15 ¥41.10

24.23%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$526 ¥3,519

$1,229 ¥8,220

-57.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$22.0K ¥147.0K

11.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$51.2 ¥342

7.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$40.28 ¥269

-0.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$82.6 ¥552

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$87.2 ¥583

6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$457 ¥3,056

68.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$195 ¥1,305

144.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$1,071 ¥7,159

85.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$594 ¥3,974

43.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$5,499 ¥36.8K

148.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$2,733 ¥18.3K

120.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$1,355 ¥9,058

29.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.53

-5.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Suzhou

$195 22.5% 59.2% $283

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Suzhou

$221 25.4% 12.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Suzhou

$118 13.5% 0.5% $0.5

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Suzhou

$116 13.3% 13.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Suzhou

$124 14.2% 38.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Suzhou

$46 5.3% 28.8% $19

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Suzhou

$49 5.7% 74.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $457 in Suzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $30.00 in Suzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $221, with Suzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

12,748,262

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Suzhou 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shenzhen vs Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Shenzhen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $771 in Shenzhen versus $457 in Suzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suzhou runs roughly 95% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $1,229 in Suzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $868 in Suzhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Suzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.